700 Score: 710 Retake? Huge variation vs MGMAT Practice Test Scores

Question

Pretty deflated with my verbal performance. My pacing was fine as I finished each section with about 10 minutes to spare and I didn't find any of the problems particularly difficult (MGMAT techniques). My computer did crash before the test started, but I highly doubt this was a factor. If anything, I felt that the quant & verbal sections were almost too easy compared to their MGMAT comps. What makes this really bizarre is that verbal was always my stronger section (V:740; Q:690 on the OLD GRE, V:740, W: 720, Q:660 on the SAT).

I have no application constraint (not applying for another 1-2 years), so I guess I should retake? Targeting M7 from an over-represented group.

) * GMATprep 1: 660 * MGMAT 1: 680 Q40 V42 * MGMAT 2: 730 Q45 v44 * MGMAT 3: 760 Q48 V46 * MGMAT 4: 770 Q48 V48 * MGMAT 5: 770 Q50 V46 * MGMAT 6: 770 Q49 V49 * MGMAT 7: 780 Q50 V48 * GMATprep 2: 760 Q47 V47 * GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V38 In test "sense" * Essay: Easy (I'm a management consultant) * IR: **** with a low DPI mouse making it hard to use the calculator, but I did alright * PS: About right - Bunuel for President 2016!! * DS: Slightly too easy EXCEPT for questions 35-37. H.O.L.Y.S.H.I.T difficulty i.e. ~ 16 minutes on 3 questions * CR: About right, but I might've gotten over-confident. MGMAT Methodology + Automatically select my "gut" if down to 2 (I'm terrible with second-guessing myself) * SC: About right. Memorized MGMAT SC * RC: Easy despite getting 4 long passages. Previous knowledge on 3/4 topics + full skeletal sketchs ftw.

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Jdmflcl , I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, you quite obviously are extremely talented. Your knowledge and preparation are quite impressive. Cognitively, you probably are about as prepared for the test as you could be. That's precisely what makes me suspect that non-cognitive factors are the most influential in your case. Read this blog very carefully: Lower on the Real GMAT than on Practice Tests Toward the bottom, that article has links to other articles on stress management techniques. My suspicion is that if you were to practice stress management techniques and deep focus techniques with the same alacrity you have brought to your academic studies, it would not only fully catalyze your intellectual gifts on your next GMAT, but also give you a tremendous edge in B-school and in the business world. Let me know if you have any further questions. Mike :-)

redfield · Answer

I had a very similar experience as this (flip the split though), I was scoring consistently 730-760 across GMAT Prep exams (1-4) and MGMAT exams. The former is considered a very accurate barometer and the latter are typically considered hard than the real thing. For me I thought I was doing phenomenally and was expecting closer to a 740 and ended with a 710.

Like you I don't have a rush on this, I plan on applying in fall or maybe even late next year. I've decided to retake and have it scheduled early next month. My belief is you and I likely made silly mistakes. That's usually the best explanation as to why you thought you were doing great and turned out not so. For example if the question asks something like find x + 2 and you find x (even though you know that trap but just as an example). The answer is there, all the calculations were right and clean, yet your score doesn't reflect your confidence.

So what I'm doing is GMATClub tests and loads of practice problems until I can do most of it in my sleep without making silly mistakes (my number one issue on test day I think). Because to me if you're scoring THAT much less on test day despite feeling confident then execution was the problem not knowledge. You've shown you have sufficient knowledge to score highly and consistently so. I say depending on your profile (a 710 may be plenty good but I have a lower GPA and need that higher GMAT) if you think you'll definitely be helped by the higher GMAT than reschedule because you clearly have the ability you just had an issue with test day execution (plus now that you have a score to fall back on it'll be much less stressful this go around).

Best of luck with your retake or applications!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Jdmflcl,

First off, a 710/Q48 is an outstanding score (it's right around the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest might not be necessary. Since you implied that you're planning to apply to some highly competitive Programs, you have to remember that those Programs are looking for strong OVERALL applicants - and no GMAT score (not even an 800) would guarantee you anything. As such, you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of them here:

ask-admission-consultants-124/

Since you were scoring higher on your CATs, I have a few questions about how you were preparing:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you ever seen any questions BEFORE you took a CAT?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

AjiteshArun · Answer

You should take it again. The only change I'd make here is to use all the exam pack tests instead of relying heavily on non-official tests. This is particularly important when it comes to developing a "feel" for GMAT questions and for getting the timing strategy down.

Jdmflcl · Answer

Thanks for the support mike - You're probably right. I'm a night owl (9am test time) and only got 4ish hours of REM sleep the night before the test. redfield - I'm thinking I'll reread the LSAT materials + take 3-4 MGMAT tests + 4 GMATPREP rich - I'd rate myself as a fairly intriguing candidate who has underperformed against perceived potential, hence the B-school route. (Pros: Intl. Work Experience, Unusual Applicant Bucket, Languages, Graduated in 2.5 years w/ a 3.8 GPA, Oddball ECs (Oddball as being a private ski instructor for Chinese Private Equity MDs in Japan), Neutral: Interesting Work Experience offset by mediocre performance review (Currently switching to rectify - mainly due to factors beyond my control), M7 Legacy, Tier 2 Undergrad; Cons: Non-Asia related ECs, belong to the two most OVER REPRESENTED ethnic groups sans Indian IT). I plan on working 1.5-2 more years to bulk out my work experience/secure a strong recommendation and definitely plan on using a consultant as I lack the time to waste futzing around. 1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)? I did not, which was probably a mistake in hindsight. I'm a strong academic writer and have a masters degree in statistics, so tack this one up to hubris

2) Did you take them at home? 50/50. The one thing I DID like about the real deal was taking the test with noise cancelling earmuffs. 3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT? Hell no. I'd typically take the tests between 2pm-9pm, but was forced to schedule the GMAT for 9AM. 4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? Guilty as charged. I struggle with perfectionist anxiety issues, so I had a tendency to solve a question, pause the test, and then check GMATCLUB for the OA Explanation to justify my answer. My first answer was typically correct 90% of the time, but old habits die hard. With that said, I had 18 minutes left on the Quant section when I had 2 questions left/20 minutes left on the Verbal section before the last 3 part long RC passage, so slow pacing wasn't an issue. 5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you ever seen any questions BEFORE you took a CAT? I only noticed this on the 7th MGMAT CAT. I have a photographic memory, so there were situations where I'd remember both my old skeletal sketch and the physical location of the correct answer. Likewise, there were also situations where I noticed overlap between the GMAT Toolkit question bank and the practice CATs, particularly with 700+ DS. ajitesh - Noted. I agree that "live fire" practice is probably the way to go at this juncture.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Jdmflcl,

The extra information that you've provided is quite useful, as it helps to define what went wrong on Test Day. In real basic terms, you took your CATs in such a way that you were NOT properly training to face the Official GMAT - so you were not ready to face it on Test Day.

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your scores can become - and that's what happened here. By skipping sections, taking the CATs at home, taking them at a different time of day, etc., you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.' Thus, all of those CAT score results were 'inflated.'

Thankfully, this is a relatively easy set of problems to fix. The big question now is "how long will it take you to properly get 'used to' taking the full GMAT?" You'll certainly need a new set of practice CATs to work with and you have to put in the necessary time to train your brain (and body) for the FULL GMAT. You might also need to invest in some new GMAT training materials.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Jdmflcl · Answer

I figured as much. What probably happened was my familiarity with setting up the various GMAT math problems overrode my lack of situational experience, but simultaneously left me susceptible to careless errors on the less obviously objective 2/3 split Verbal questions (I'm pretty much automatic at this point to reducing the answer choices from 5->2)

How much time do you think is reasonable? I can pound out 4 practice tests in a weekend. Does your guarantee hold for a 710 to 770 improvement

. The irony is that this isn't even the first time I've had something like this happen to me (SAT 1 ~1800/SAT 2 2250)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Jdmflcl,

Taking 4 FULL CATs in a weekend is a TERRIBLE idea. The process of completing (and properly reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of time and energy. It also takes time to 'recover' from taking a CAT - and during that time, you should be doing review, working on practice questions, etc. based on the results of that CAT. As a general rule, you shouldn't take more than 1 FULL CAT per week. It's tough to say how long it would take you to properly acclimate to the FULL CAT experience, but a logical first step would be to take one soon (and make sure that the 'details' line-up with what you'll face on Test Day in as many ways as possible.

Everything that you need to know about the Score Guarantee can be found here:

https://www.empowergmat.com/guarantee/

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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